Republicans: Back to the Laundry

On the eve of a round-the-world tour last week, George Romney once more referred to his brainwashing gaffe, declaring that his 1965 experience in Viet Nam has put him on his guard, just as a broken bone, once knitted, is "stronger at the break than at any other point." Before a single bonehead gag was born, Romney winged off to Paris, was ignored by De Gaulle, conferred with Foreign Minister Couve de Murville, and then gushed: "I am impressed by the good relationship between the people of France and the U.S. There is a great deal in common in the leadership, and the two governments are devoted to the same basic principles."

Incredulous, the Francophobe New York Daily News editorialized: "And this is the gent who said he was brainwashed by Americans in Saigon."